By Clay Wirestone | opinion editor
Good Morning! We take off for the moon in today’s newsletter, thanks to columnist Max McCoy’s celebration of NASA’s Artemis II mission. If you haven’t found some time for yourself yet this weekend, please do. We need everyone in tip-top shape for Monday.
Max McCoy / Kansas Reflector
OPINION
Return to Earth: At this Kansas space museum, I came in search of what we had nearly lost.
By Max McCoy
HUTCHINSON — Stare into the open hatch of Odyssey, the scarred Apollo 13 command module in which three American astronauts made their improbable return to Earth from a seemingly jinxed lunar mission, and ponder the fragility and strength of humanity.
Recently I did just that, and whispered thanks to the universe for bringing back another set of astronauts. I had not realized the depth of my anxiety over the Artemis II lunar flyby mission. When the crew safely splashed down off the coast of San Diego on April 10, my sense of relief surprised me. It was as if I’d carried the worry on my shoulders and the weight was lifted.
To explore this reaction, I embarked on a civic pilgrimage to Hutchinson.
It was my intent to commune with the bit of space history that I most closely identify with the Apollo era of lunar exploration. Some might consider Colombia, the Apollo 11 command module on display at the Smithsonian, to be the single most important NASA artifact. It was the capsule for the historic first moon landing, in 1969.
To me, Apollo 13 is more compelling.
It’s not just a story of exploration, but of survival.
Getty Images
Many states don’t report losses from data center tax breaks, study says
Though public scrutiny of data centers is growing, 14 states do not disclose how much revenue they lose to data center tax breaks.
That’s according to a new report from Good Jobs First, a watchdog group that focuses on economic development incentives. The lack of disclosure comes as other states record mounting losses in tax revenue to data center subsidies. Three states — Georgia, Virginia and Texas — report losing $1 billion or more per year to data center incentives, according to Good Jobs First.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Kansas Reflector staff will participate in the following free public forums.
11 a.m. April 25, West Wyandotte Public Library in Kansas City, Kansas. Opinion editor Clay Wirestone joins a panel discussion on the constitutional amendment to elect Kansas Supreme Court justices.
7 p.m. May 11, Books & Brews, Riverbank Brewing in Council Grove. Hosts: Flint Hills Books and Riverbank Brewing.
6:30 p.m. June 12, Kansas Museum of History in Topeka. Opinion editor Clay Wirestone will join a panel discussion: "From the Desk of William Allen White: What Can Journalism Today Learn from the Sage of Emporia?"
7 p.m. June 27, Park City Senior Center. Host: Park City Community Pride.
2 p.m. Sept. 27, Red Rocks Visitor Center in Emporia. Host: Red Rocks.
If you're interested in having us talk in your town, email Sherman Smith at [email protected].
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